Dustin's First Crush
by melonbar92
Summary: A new girl comes and Dustin is swept away by her. Will he find a connection with her or will his heart get broken? COMPLETED!
1. Lights Out!

Second story on this site! Brain dead, I am. Tee hee… well anyways, I hope you all read this story of mine- lots of reviews on my first story, The Love Potion. THANKS FOR THAT! Got way more than I thought I would and I would just like to say you rock, I rock, we all rock.

Chapter One- Lights Out!

Dustin Brooks sat at his desk early, half an hour before the bell was going to ring. He was taking out his books for English and trying to scout down his dictionary while eating a granola bar. He dug threw his backpack until he came across what he was looking for. Taking the dictionary out and placing it on his desk, he accidentally dropped his backpack, spilling his extra pencils and notebooks out on to the ground. He sighed heavily and bent down to pick them up.

"Tough luck," a girl's voice said. "Figures it would happen on a Monday." She bent down to help Dustin pick up his dropped items.

"Yeah, really," Dustin mumbled. He looked up at the girl's face and felt his stomach start to churn. He dropped the granola bar and his mouth fell open. In his opinion, this girl was… unbelievable. She had bright, vivid blue eyes that were large and round, blond hair that was tied back in a rather messy ponytail as if she had other things to worry about besides how she looked, and she had freckles scattered over the bridge of her nose.

The girl handed Dustin a stack of paper and two notebooks. "Here you go," she said, smiling. Her teeth looked perfect and pearly white. Dustin was speechless as he took his things back from the girl.

"I'm Katie," the girl said, offering her name in a polite matter. She stuck out her hand for him to shake. "Katie Anderson."

"Dustin," Dustin said, his eyes still fixed on hers and his mouth still hanging open a little. "Dustin Brooks." He reached out to shake her hand and when he did he felt tingles go all the way up his arm.

Katie smiled. "I'm new here. I'm from Texas and my dad thought that it'd be good for me to get near the ocean and experience things he never got to do as a kid." She sighed a little. "So here I am at PCA. What do you think of this school? Should I be worried about anything?"

"Huh?" Dustin stared blankly at her. His heart was beating so loud that he was sure she could hear it. Students began filing into the classroom and he got up so quickly that his head hit his desk and the dictionary fell off and hit the floor. Katie laughed and picked it up and surveyed it.

"Do we need one of these?" she asked. "I don't have one. Can I sit beside you and share? Can I buy this somewhere? I thought I heard someone tell me there was a school store. What can I get there?"

"You get them…" The bell rang and Dustin leapt up and sat in his seat, folding his hands on his desk and looking straight forward. Katie giggled and leaned in to whisper in his ear, "Is that how we sit in California?"

Dustin felt his face turn pink. She moved away and sat in the seat right beside him. The teacher came in and set her briefcase on the desk. She clapped her hands together and said in a loud, warm voice, "Class, we have a new student today. Her name is Katie Anderson. Katie, could you could stand up and introduce yourself?"

Katie stood up and brushed her hands off on her jeans. "Well… I came from Texas and my father thought it'd be a good idea for me to-"

"If you're from Texas, where's your accent?" a boy in the back of the class demanded. Dustin felt like socking him in the nose, but he managed to keep his hands folded on his desk. He glanced over to look at Katie. She was still smiling.

"Well, I don't-"

She was interrupted by a girl in the front who was pink faced and had brown braids. "Hilary Duff is from Texas and she hasn't got an accent!" the girl said, slamming her first down on the desk.

The girl beside her rolled her eyes and said, "Stop being so dramatic. And calm down, there's no need to be slamming your fists." The two of them started bickering and the guy in the back of the class started talking again.

"I don't like Hilary Duff, who in the right mind would like her? I mean, she's such a-"

The teacher cleared her throat and everyone silenced. "Go on, Katie," she said.

"Well, yes, I don't have an accent… but being born in Texas isn't just about having an accent," Katie said, still smiling. "It's about lots more. There's lost of beautiful things in Texas- other then cactuses, there are also trees and squirrels and-"

"Squirrels!" someone yelled. "Did you meet Sandy from Spongebob Squarepants?" Everyone started laughing and this time Katie's smile dropped off her face and she sat back down and mumbled something along the lines of 'yes, actually I did…'

Dustin felt bad for her. He leaned over and said, "Well, I think Texas is pretty cool." She smiled at him, looking genuinely grateful. Brushing a strand of blond hair out of her eyes she too leaned forward so she was practically nose to nose with Dustin. He gulped.

"Thanks," she said. He could practically count the freckles on her nose. "You're really sweet." She leaned back so she could sit properly.

Dustin also sat facing the board now, his thoughts jumping around in his mind. _She said I'm sweet! She said thanks to me! _He barely paid attention in class and when the bell rang, Katie had to tap him on the shoulder to bring him back to Earth.

"I think we get a fifteen minute break between classes now," she said, glancing at her watch. "Can I meet you at lunch? I'd like to treat you to something for being so nice to me." She blushed slightly. "If you don't have other plans or something…"

"No!" Dustin said quickly. "I don't have other plans."

She beamed. "Great, then I'll see you in the cafeteria?" With a quick wave she picked up her bag and hurried out of the classroom.

"I'm glad you're making friends with the new girl," the teacher said as she got ready for her next lesson. "She seems friendly. Although often times other people get turned off by new students."

Dustin packed his bag and walked out of the classroom. He had to see someone- and he had to see him now. If only he could find him… Dustin ran to the boys dormitories and knocked on Chase's room door.

"Chase!" he yelled. "Chase! Are you in there?"

Michael Barret opened the door. "Hey, little D," he said. "Looking for Chase?"

"Well isn't it obvious?" Dustin said, trying to look past Michael into the room. "Where's Chase?" He ducked under Michael's arm and looked around the room frantically, even opening the closet to see if Chase might be hiding in there.

"Don't know," Michael said. "I just got back from class a few minutes ago. And Chase is probably- HE IS NOT HIDING IN MY UNDERWEAR!" Dustin had been going through Michael's drawer of boxer shorts, underwear, and socks.

"I need to talk to him NOW!" Dustin said frantically. He tossed the pair of boxer shorts he had been holding into the air and ran out of the room, running right into his sister, Zoey Brooks.

"Zo!" he cried. "Where's Chase?"

"Right here," Chase said, coming up behind Zoey and holding two cans of soda. "What's up?" He handed one can to Zoey and she smiled her thanks as she opened it, letting the fizz out.

"I need to talk to you," Dustin said quickly, grabbing Chase by the wrist and dragging him along the hall.

"Dustin!" Zoey cried, looking slightly hurt. "You know you can talk to me. I mean, I'm your sister and I'm always here if you need to talk. So if you're having some kind of problem then I should-"

"Guy talk, sorry, no girls allowed," Dustin said quickly, still half dragging Chase, trying to find an empty room. Chase shrugged at Zoey and followed Dustin willingly.

They found an empty room and Dustin quickly closed the door. "Okay, so, what's up?" Chase asked, looking confused. "Did you steal something of Zoey's? Cause if you did, I think you'd better tell me what it is and then give it to me. Especially if it's a piece of paper with the words 'I love Chase Matthews' written on it. Then I can send it to my parents and finally prove to them that I have a girlfriend."

"No," Dustin said, feeling anxious. "I… I need tips."

Chase raised his eyebrows. "What do you need tips on? If it's homework, then I am not the guy to help you. And if it's about combing hair, I'm also not the guy to help you. I lost a comb in my hair once and it was-"

"No," Dustin said, interrupting Chase. "I need to know how to talk to girls."

**For those of you who are Hilary Duff fans, don't worry- I am too! I have all her CD's and everything- tee hee. Live long, fangs, live long!**


	2. The Lunch Date

Typos: In the last chapter I accidentally wrote 'live long, fangs' instead of live long fans. What kind of a mistake is that? Well I guess my head was in the clouds or something… anyways, here's chapter two and I hope you guys like it!

Chapter Two- The Lunch Date

Dustin sat in class, his eyes fixed on the clock instead of on the teacher who was talking about the history of the Romans. _Five minutes until lunch! _He recalled the conversation he had had with Chase during break. He pulled out the piece of paper where had taken notes on how to talk to girls and briefly skimmed it so he was prepared for his lunch date with Katie.

1. Girls usually like boys who are sweet. Insist of buying her lunch or pull her chair out for her before taking a seat yourself

2. If you do the two things above and she is not responding in any way that most likely means that she is the type of girl who goes for bad boys. Try to act tough and kind of mean, but not really

3. Compliment her by saying-

"I hope you're all writing this down," the teacher was saying, his eyes directly on Dustin as he tapped his ruler against his test. "This will surely be on the test next Wednesday."

Dustin gulped and leafed through his notebook to find a blank page. He quickly scribbled out something about the Romans before turning his eyes back to what was _really _important.

3. Compliment her by saying her clothes look nice or her hair smells good. Girls like that sort of thing. When you notice little things about them, they like it (unless of course, that little thing is a bad thing)

He lifted his eyes to the clock and let out a little gasp. It was 11:59. In one minute he would meet… Katie Anderson! He was nervous and excited- so nervous and excited, in fact, that he knocked all of his things off his desk by accident. He quickly bent down to pick them all up. The teacher sighed exasperatedly.

"Dustin," he said, rubbing his forehead. "I don't know what's wrong with you today, but you're going to have to stop this nonsense. It's almost lunch and I-"

The bell rang and Dustin was the first to cram his things into his bag and run out the door without a backwards glance. He quickly stopped in the bathroom to check his hair before rushing off to the cafeteria to find Katie.

"Dustin!"

He turned to see her waving at him in line for some food. She beckoned him over and some kids grumbled as he budged in front of them. He grinned at her and she grinned back.

"Good to see you're here," she said, beaming. "What do you want to eat?"

"Huh?" It took Dustin a minute to realize what she was talking about. "I think I'll have… a hot dog. What do you want? I'll pay." He remembered Chase's tips.

Katie frowned but then forced a grin. "Uh… that's ok. Besides, I'm paying, remember? It's my treat because you were so nice to me today in English." She moved forward in line and Dustin followed. "You're the first friend I've made so far. Isn't that odd?"

"Sure, odd," Dustin mumbled. After Katie paid for his hot dog and her slice of pepperoni pizza they looked around to see where they should sit. She spotted a table with two seats left and grabbed Dustin's arm. He quickly pulled away, his face beet red.

"Uh… pull chair out for… you…" Dustin said so quietly that nobody heard him. Katie frowned and pulled her own chair out and sat down. Dustin sat across from her, dropping his tray on the table and grumbling to himself.

_There goes tip number one. Now what am I supposed to do? _He remembered tip number two and frowned a little bit as he took a bite of his hot dog. _But what if she doesn't like bad boys? But then again… Chase said if she doesn't like a gentleman… but I didn't get a chance to be one! What am I supposed to do?_

"Dustin, what are you thinking about?" Katie asked curiously.

"Oh nothing," Dustin was about to say. Instead he, remembering the bad boy trick, said, "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Huh?" Katie looked confused. "Well… um… okay then." She continued to eat her pizza, staring at the table instead of looking at Dustin who was silently beating himself up on the inside.

_I should have known. Katie's not the type to like bad boys! Why did I say that? Now she probably hates me. What do I do? Okay, Dustin, breathe and just finish your hot dog… that's normal._

Dustin grabbed a bottle of ketchup and tried to squirt some on his hot dog. None came out so he started to hit the back of it. He lifted it up so it was pointed directly at Katie and squeezed it so hard that-

"Oh… no," Dustin said, his eyes large.

Katie smiled a little, but she kept her eyes on her ketchup smeared shirt. "Um… thanks, Dustin, but I think I'd rather have the ketchup on my food…" She slowly reached for a napkin.

"I'll get it," Dustin said quickly, standing up and grabbing some napkins. He thrust his hand out so fast that he hit the bottle of maple syrup over and- curse the person who left it open- it spilled all over Katie's reaching hand.

Dustin dropped the napkins into the puddle of syrup and quickly started to apologize. "I'm sorry…. I didn't mean for this to… um… did I tell you your hair smells good?"

Katie just stared at him, grinning a little, her cheeks a faint shade of pink. "No… you didn't, but thanks." She reached for some napkins. "I'll get them this time."

Dustin shuffled his feet on the ground. "Um… I just realized I have to go. Uh… okay then, I'll see you later and I'm sorry and…" He started to back away once he started talking and now he just toppled right over his chair and landed on his back on the floor.

"Dustin!" Katie cried, abandoning her sticky hand and ketchup covered shirt. "Are you alright?"

"FINE!" Dustin yelled, scrambling to his feet. Everyone in the cafeteria was staring at him now. "Just fine. ABSOLUTELY, PERFECTLY-" He slipped on a spot of maple syrup that had leaked on to the ground and he fell with a heavy thud on the ground.

Katie's eyes grew large. Chase and Zoey came hurrying over and, grabbing his arms and legs, they hauled him off to get cleaned up. Katie watched them take him away and she sat down and sighed heavily.

_Boys are so weird. But… _she smiled. _He's so cute too._


	3. Messy Junk

Chapter Three- Messy Junk

Dustin was washing his hands for the thirteenth time, trying to get his hands to be syrup free. He was trying hard not to run out of the bathroom screaming. He had been so stupid today! He felt like slamming his head right through the mirror… but of course, he didn't. That would be even more stupid than squirting your crush with ketchup. Actually… no it wouldn't. Anything would be smarter than making the girl of your dreams' shirt red.

"Are you done yet, Dustin?" Zoey's voice said from behind the bathroom door. She knocked three times as Dustin examined his fingers and pressed them together. Still a little bit sticky.

"Almost," Dustin called back as he squirted some more soap on to his wet hands. As he rubbed his hands together under the stream of water coming from the tap, he thought about Katie. It didn't seem like she was the type to like bad boys or gentlemen. He didn't know what to think.

"Little D, are you done yet?" Chase said from outside the bathroom. He had insisted on helping Dustin wash the syrup out of his fingers, but Dustin was embarrassed enough without having someone wash his hands for him. So he made everyone stay outside while he could free his fingers of stickiness.

"C'mon, Dustin, they probably aren't sticky anymore," Zoey said, sounding slightly exasperated. "Come on out. Lunch is almost over… Dustin?"

He was remembering Katie's face when he had squirted her shirt with ketchup. Twisting the tap so the sink turned off, he slumped on the ground and sighed loudly. The bathroom door opened and Chase came in, followed by Zoey.

"You're not allowed to be in the boys' bathroom," Dustin mumbled at his sister who squatted down in front of him. She looked concerned and Dustin hated it. Sisters were only supposed to be nice when they did something bad to you, weren't they?

"Dustin, what's wrong?" she asked. She tilted his head up so he had to stare directly at her. "You have to tell me what's wrong. If you can't tell me, who can you tell?"

Dustin sighed. She was right. There wasn't anyone else he could confess his troubles to without having them laugh and tease him all the time. He carefully leaned forward and whispered in Zoey's ear.

"I think I'm having girl problems."

He leaned back to examine how his sister took the news. She was smiling and trying hard not to burst out in a fit of giggles. "Dustin," she said. "You're too young for girl troubles."

"That's what you think," Dustin grumbled. "I followed Chase's tips and they completely blew up in my face. Thanks a lot Chase."

Chase looked shocked. "Well, Dustin, I thought they were great tips if I do say so myself. I mean, really, I thought that they would-"

"Wait," Zoey said, interrupting Chase's rambling. "What tips?"

"Chase said girls like gentlemen and if they don't then they like bad boys," Dustin mumbled, his head in his hands now. Zoey's mouth fell open and she turned to stare Chase directly in the eye.

"You told him WHAT?"

"Well, gee, it always worked for me!" Chase cried, defending himself. He paused. "Well, okay, maybe it didn't, but I just thought I was doing it wrong or something!"

Zoey sighed and turned to Dustin. "Dustin, girls don't like it when boys try to impress them."

Dustin lifted his head. "They don't?"

Zoey shook her head. "No, they like it when you act natural. Just be yourself, Dustin. Girls like guys that they can just hang around with without feeling uncomfortable or worried."

"They do?" Dustin said, sounding sad. "Then Katie must hate me now."

"Katie?" Zoey said, gaining interest. "Is that her name? Tell me about her. Where's she from? Is she nice?"

"Stop with the poking, Zo," Chase said, sitting down beside Dustin. "Dustin, I'm sorry for giving you stupid tips. If you want, Zoey and I could go talk to Katie and see what she thinks of you or something…"

"Great idea!" Zoey leapt up to her feet and pulled up Chase. "Let's go find her right now. Don't worry, Dustin. We'll see exactly what she thinks. She marched out of the bathroom with Chase at her heels. Dustin stared after them.

"Oh no."

**Okay, guys, sorry for the incredibly short chapter and I know I haven't updated as fast I usually do, but I blame THAT on the mountain of homework on my desk. See I just started high school (where I live, high school starts at grade eight) so that means way more study time :( Anyways, next chapter will be WAY, WAY, WAY better! It's going to be really sad though… but I won't say anymore! **


	4. Guys Don't Get Heartbroken

Chapter Four: Guys Don't Get Heartbroken

Zoey was walking quickly, practically jogging. Chase trailed behind her, trying to keep up. He glanced at his watch as he nearly tripped over his untied shoelaces. Zoey suddenly stopped and Chase ran right into her.

"Whoa," he said, gasping for breath. "Zo, what's the hurry? We have like ten minutes before the bell rings."

"We _have_ to hurry when my little brother is involved in the situation," Zoey said, crossing her arms across her chest. "And why are you so out of shape? I'm beginning to think you don't work out."

"Oh," Chase said, wiping his sweaty forehead with the back of his hand. "I work out. Oh yeah, I totally do. It's just… you're fast. Do you work out too?"

Zoey rolled her eyes and grabbed Chase's wrist. "Come on..." She dragged him into the cafeteria where they found Katie mopping up the last of the syrup. Only a couple of people remained and they were standing up, getting ready to leave. Soon Zoey, Chase, and Katie were the only ones left in the cafeteria.

Katie had just finished cleaning up the syrup as Zoey approached her. She smiled and stuck her hand out for Katie to shake.

"Hi, I'm Zoey, Dustin's older sister," she said, introducing herself. Chase stood behind her, trying to catch his breath. "Uh… and that's Chase."

"S-sup?" Chase said, still panting slightly.

Katie smiled. "Um, hi, I'm Katie. How's Dustin? He just disappeared and I thought I might have done something to upset him."

"No, he was just embarrassed," Zoey said, quickly brushing off the matter. "So Katie… you and my brother… pretty close, huh?"

Katie grinned as she pushed her chair in and picked up her lunch tray. "Yes, he was really nice to me." She started walking and Zoey followed.

"So… do you kinda… you know, like him?" Zoey asked, attempting to bring it up casually, but not really succeeding. Chase gave her a look that burned the back of her neck, but she didn't turn around to face him.

"Me?" Katie said as she dumped her dirty tray in a pile of other dirty trays. "Well, yeah, I like him, but…" She giggled. "Not like… you know."

Zoey's heart sank. "Huh? I mean… uh… well…"

"Let's put it this way," Chase said, finally speaking up. "If he asked you out would you say yes?" Now it was Zoey's turn to give Chase a burning glare, but he decided to ignore her like she did to him.

Katie's cheeks were turning pink. "Um… no, well, not on a date, no…. Well, I don't like him… Not like that way anyway. Just friends. I mean… well, okay, well…" The bell rang and Katie felt so relieved that a smile split out on to her face. "Got to go. Bye!"

She rushed out of the cafeteria. Zoey and Chase stood there, staring at each other.

"So…" Chase said. "What do we tell Dustin?"

Zoey sighed. "The truth, I guess." She frowned. "Poor guy. He'll be crushed."

Later that night, Dustin lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. His mind was drifting around one thing- Katie Anderson. He sighed dreamily and rolled over on to his side. He wondered what Zoey and Chase had asked her-

"Dustin?" There was a knock on the door and Zoey's head poked in.

"Hey, Zo!" Dustin leaped up to greet her. She smiled and came into the room, taking a seat at his desk. He blinked expectantly at her and folded his hands to wait for the news.

"So…" she said, sounding a little nervous. She jiggled her foot a bit, but quickly stopped. "Um, so, what's up?"

"You tell me," Dustin said eagerly. "What did she say about me? You know at first I thought it was a bad idea, but…"

"Sorry kiddo," Zoey said, looking sad. She didn't want to lie to Dustin like she had before with Quinn… she didn't need to go through another Mark situation. "She only likes you as a friend… But you know more fish in the sea, right?"

Dustin felt crushed. "She… doesn't?"

Zoey felt terrible now. She reached over and pulled him into a hug. "Oh, kiddo, I'm sorry. If I could change things, she would like you and you two could live happily ever after… but I can't change that, can I?" She felt her heart drop lower still when Dustin pulled away from her and forced a smile.

"Oh well," he said, his voice strained. "So she doesn't like me. So what? I mean big deal… right? It's just one girl. Just one stupid girl." He turned his back on his sister. "And besides… it's not like we've known each other for ages or anything and I mean…"

"Dustin…" Zoey stared at the back of his head. "Are you going to be ok with this?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Dustin mumbled, turning around again. "I'll be fine. No, I AM fine." He forced a laugh which came out as a bit of a half choke, half strangle.

"You sure?" Zoey said, sounding concerned. "I'm here if you want to talk to me about it. I'm a girl I can give you some _real_ advice if you want."

"No," Dustin said quickly. "I think I have to… do some homework. So I'll see you tomorrow, right?" He helped her up and pushed her towards the door. With once last worried glance, she left his room.

Once she was gone, Dustin flopped on to his bed and moaned into his pillow.

"Why doesn't she like me? Why? Is it my hair, is it my teeth, is it-"

The door opened and Zoey poked her head in again. Dustin immediately sat up and pretended to be looking for his Math textbook.

"Left my purse…" Zoey mumbled. She hurried to the desk, snatched up her purse, and left again. Dustin sighed and flopped back down.

He felt so embarrassed that he stuffed his head under his pillow to stop his cheeks from turning red. He felt tears start to form in his eyes and laughed a little in half shock and half disgust.

_Guys don't get heartbroken, _he thought. _Especially not if they just had a crush for a day. _


	5. Dreaming of You

Chapter Five- Dreaming of You

Dustin fell asleep that night, his heart heavy and his mind sluggish. He kept thinking of Katie and how pretty she was and how perfect it would be if she was his girlfriend… then he would remember that she didn't like him in that way and he would fall into a hole of sadness once again. It was quite depressing, really.

He crawled into bed and tossed and turned before finally… he was out like a light. His sleep was not a peaceful one. His brain was still working at top speed and he began to dream a dream that was so real he began to believe it was…

"_Morning, Dustin," Katie said, sitting down beside me. "How did you sleep?"_

"_Oh, yeah, I slept well," Dustin replied, blushing as he gave Katie a small smile._

_She grinned at him as she took out a pencil. "So did you study for that test we have today?" she asked as she started to sharpen her pencil point._

"_What test?" Dustin asked looking bewildered._

_Katie looked surprised. "You didn't study for the test? It's worth 40 of your grade, you know. You should start cramming right now."_

"_Okay."_

_Dustin pulled out his books and started to study rapidly, cramming information into his head, trying to remember it all. Katie was watching him, looking amused. She reached over and pulled Dustin's textbook into her hands._

"_Want me to help you study?" she asked._

_Dustin gaped at her. "Huh?"_

"_Help you study," she said, speaking slowly. She laughed. "You know, you help me and I help you." She flipped to a page in the textbook and starting reading out loud._

"_You have a nice voice," Dustin blurted out before he could stop himself._

_Katie looked at him, her blue eyes sparkling. Her cheeks were slightly pink. "Um… thanks, Dustin. Yours too?"_

_Now it was Dustin's turn for his cheeks to turn pink. He pressed his hand against his face and quickly turned away from her, scolding himself for not watching what he said. Just then, the teacher came in, looking frazzled._

"_Class!" she cried. "Get a move on! They're coming to attack! Everyone…SAVE YOURSELVES!" _

_Everyone got up and ran out of the classroom, screaming. Dustin felt confused. What was coming to attack?_

"_Dustin, come on!" Katie cried, grabbing Dustin's arm and running out of the classroom. He still didn't know why everyone was so panicky, but he was just glad to be near Katie._

_Suddenly everything went black. Dustin felt as if he had just run into a brick wall. He looked around, but couldn't see anything._

"_Katie?" he called hesitantly. "Katie…?"_

"_Dustin…" _

_Dustin turned around, only to be greeted by more darkness. "Katie?"_

"_Dustin…"_

_Then, suddenly, it was as if someone had pulled the light switch on. Dustin shielded his eyes when the sudden light spread over him. That's when he saw it. It was Elvis. Except this Elvis was… huge. 50 feet tall at least!_

"_Oh my…"_

_Elvis was eating people, snapping his jaws viciously. Several students were trying to hold him back, but one flick of his paw and they went flying. One of the people trying to control him was Quinn Pensky, Zoey's friend. _

"_Quinn!" Dustin yelled. "Quinn! What happened?"_

"_My potion that makes things bigger!" Quinn cried. "I tested it on Elvis and… well, I think I may have give it some adjustments…"_

_Dustin was shocked. The dog wailed loudly and Dustin screamed and started to run for cover when he heard a shriek. He turned to see Elvis going straight for Katie._

"_Katie!" Dustin cried. "RUN!"_

_Katie was running madly now. Then she fell, landing right on her face. Dustin gaped at her and then he ran._

_The dog was coming closer now. He knelt down to sniff Katie who was trembling so much she couldn't stand. Dustin was running to her… C'mon, feet go faster! He commanded himself. Elvis was about to pick Katie up in his teeth when Dustin jumped on to his huge nose, sending his head flying to the left._

"_Run, Katie, RUN!" Dustin yelled._

_Katie scrambled to her feet and ran away from the dog as Elvis turned to glare at Dustin. He felt scared… Then suddenly… The scene changed. _

_He was in the hospital. Lying on a bed with a blanket over his face. He grunted and pushed it down to see Katie sitting by him, crying._

"_Katie?" Dustin said, sounding confused. "What happened?" _

"_Dustin?" Katie whispered, looking closely into his face. " You're… you're alive?"_

"_If I wasn't alive, would I be talking?" Dustin said, grinning slightly._

"_Oh my…" Katie started to cry harder. "The doctors said you were… you were done for… and then I was… so… worried and…"_

"_Katie," Dustin said. "Don't worry. I'm still here…"_

_Katie nodded, tears running down her face. Then she leaned down toward Dustin… closer and closer and…_

"DUSTIN!"

"Huh? What?" Dustin fell off his bed, landing on the floor with a loud crash. He groaned and rubbed his back where he fell.

"You started talking in your sleep," Dustin's roommate, Tim, said. "So I thought I'd wake you up."

"Oh," Dustin said. "What did I say?"

"Something about mayonnaise I think," Tim said. "Well, c'mon, it's 7:30. Get a move on."

Dustin got up off the floor and left the room with his toothbrush. Mayonnaise?

On his way to the bathroom, he ran into Katie. She looked tired, but when she saw Dustin her eyes lit up.

"Hi, Dustin!" she said eagerly. "Are you going to brush your teeth?" she asked, noticing his toothbrush. When he nodded, she smiled. "Me too."

"I'm out of the hospital," Dustin blurted out.

Katie frowned. "Huh?"

Dustin felt his cheeks turn pink. It was a dream, he reminded himself. Just a dream. "Oh nothing, I'll see you later." He bustled away from her.

"Dustin…?" Katie said, feeling sad that he had left in such a hurry. She sighed and made her way to the bathroom, spirits low.

Dustin splashed his face with water once he was at the sink. "I'm so stupid," he grumbled. "It was just a dream. Katie doesn't like you and she never will. I bet she thinks I'm stupid too. She was probably glad to see me leave…"

In the girls' bathroom, Katie was brushing her teeth while staring at her reflection in the mirror. I wonder why he left so fast, she thought. Maybe my hair is so messed up he didn't want to be seen with me? She examined herself closely in the mirror and gasped. Her hair was a mess- it was sticking up in fifty different directions. She groaned inwardly as she grabbed a hairbrush.


	6. Realization

Chapter Six- Realization

"Hi, Katie, I'm Sonya, I hear you're new here."

Katie glanced up from her notebook to see a girl with brown hair pulled back into a very high ponytail grinning at her. She had her hand stuck out and a large grin was plastered on her face. She had square teeth and squinty blue eyes that were found behind square wire rimmed glasses.

"Hi… Sonya, I'm Katie," Katie said, smiling and shaking Sonya's hand.

Sonya took a seat next to Katie at the lunch table and leaned forward and said in a voice barely above a whisper, "So I hear you and Dustin are an item now, eh?" She raised her eyebrows slightly.

Katie spat out the milk she had been drinking. She turned to Sonya, cheeks pink, and said, "No. No, definitely not, we're not… you know, going out or anything. We're just friends, not boyfriend and girlfriend."

Sonya raised her eyebrows. "Uh huh… sure, I believe you." She giggled and turned to her macaroni and started to shovel piles of it into her mouth. Katie sighed and rested her chin on to her hands, pushing away her lunch tray. For some reason, she didn't feel hungry anymore.

"So my friends tell me you're from Texas," Sonya was saying. "I thought I'd be nice and greet the new girl myself. By the way, my full name is Sonya Lotus. I'm in the same grade as you, I hear." She grinned, showing the bits of cheese stuck in her braces. "You know, I've got a real nose for gossip. I know everything."

"Really," Katie said, smiling politely. "How… um, interesting…" She paused. "So is that how you came up with the idea that Dustin and I were… you know…"

"Together?" Sonya said, picking at her braces with her nails. They were painted a sparkly green with black swirls everywhere. Bits of nail polish chipped off as she scratched them against her red and orange braces.

Katie nodded her head. "I mean… did someone tell you or… uh, what are you doing?" Sonya was now sipping her milk and then spitting what she had in her mouth back into her cup. Then she drank it again and did the same thing. She glanced over at Katie and grinned.

"I'm saving milk," she said. "I always run out so this way, I won't."

Katie looked at Sonya, feeling half terrified, half disgusted. She pushed her own cup of milk to her and said, "Here, have my milk. That way you won't run out. Just please… stop doing what you're doing now."

"Gee, thanks," Sonya said, sounding surprised. "I mean, some people said you were nice, but gosh, you really are." She grabbed Katie's milk and chugged it down in less than five seconds. Katie watched in bewilderment as the white liquid disappeared like a magic trick. Now you see it, now you don't.

"So what were we talking about?" Sonya asked, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "Oh right, you and Dustin Brookes." She laughed and looked around the cafeteria before finally nudging Katie and pointing at Dustin who was sitting with a group of his friends, looking strangely upset.

"He looks sad," Katie commented, feeling a small pang in her heart. She frowned, wondering why seeing him sad made _her_ feel funny.

"Course he looks sad," Sonya said, picking at her teeth again. "He's sad because you broke his heart. You know, don't you?" Seeing the surprised look on Katie's face, Sonya laughed. "So I guess you don't know."

"Break his heart?" Katie said brow furrowed. "When did I…?"

"Darling, it's so obvious that he likes you!" Sonya said, laughing and feeling pleased that she had used the word 'darling'. "I mean, gosh, it's… like… as obvious as… well, I don't know, but it's really obvious!"

Katie felt stunned. She had never known… well, maybe apart of her heart told her that he did like her, but she never thought that… but wait? Why did she even care? It's not like she liked HIM or anything. Katie… likes Dustin? She shook her head. That was impossible. Or was it?

"I've got Dustin in a lot of my classes," Sonya said, polishing off her macaroni. "And he's got that 'help me, I'm in love' look in his eyes, dear. I mean, one just KNOWS these things. How can you not when you're me?" She laughed. She had a very loud, squawky laugh… kind of like a parrot gone wrong.

"How do you know it's me he likes?" Katie said, trying to convince herself that Dustin couldn't like her.

Sonya shrugged. "You're the only new thing around here… You come, Dustin acts strange, there we go, and bam, slam, dunk, and here we go. You two are perfect for each other! Can't you see that? He is so in love…"

Katie laughed and stood up, pushing her chair back. "Well even if he does like me, I don't like him like that so what's the big deal?" Picking up her tray, she walked off when suddenly, she slipped on a banana peel and was about to land flat on her back when…

"Are you ok?"

Katie had closed her eyes, but now that she opened them she could see that she was lying in Dustin's arms. Dustin had caught her before she had hit the ground. She felt her heart start to speed up and her cheeks turn a burning red.

"Are you ok?" Dustin was looking at her with concern. His brain was bouncing around his head like mad right now. He was holding Katie! But he reminded himself quickly that this was the last time it was ever going to happen and she didn't like him and…

The thoughts made him sad so he quickly helped her stand up and started to shuffle away. Katie suddenly grabbed his arm and turned him around so they were face to face. She could feel Sonya's eyes burning the back of her neck.

"Dustin," she said, her heart thumping so loud she could barely hear her own voice. "I just want to say that I…" She suddenly felt her whole brain freeze up. "That I…"

Dustin stared at her, cheeks pink. He wanted to get out of there, but he didn't want to leave Katie. Not now, not ever. He held his breath to hear what she had to say.

"You…"

"I…" Katie took a deep breath. "I just want to say thanks."

"Oh," Dustin said. He forced a grin. "Okay then. Your welcome… bye." He quickly bustled away, leaving Katie standing there, feeling stupid. She bent down to pick up her spilled tray. Sonya came running over, flapping her arms.

"Oh, MY GOSH," she cried. "You have to admit it now. He saved you. He's got it bad for you! He loves you!"

Katie glanced up to see Dustin disappear out the cafeteria doors. And I think, she thought. That I've got it bad for him too.

**So how do you like the story so far? Not as good as my other one? Well anyways, I just want to give out a few shout outs…**

**MrsLoganReese- Lol, my number 1 fan, right! Hehe… thanks so much for reading and I LOVE your comments, they are so great. A billion and one thanks! Plus, I am keeping up to date with your story as well, so keep on updating! **

**LibbyRoxYourSox- Thanks so, so, SO much for reading. If you have any requests that I read any of your stories, don't hesitate to ask D **

**hopefully- Thanks for your support! You rock… maybe even more than me! Lol, modest I am, yes? Hehe… well thanks for reading and keep on checking!**

**Ella Ynrihan- Know that I am also reading your stories! Thanks for reading!**


	7. Happily Ever After

Chapter Seven- Happily Ever After

Dustin awoke the next morning, feeling groggy and tired. He rubbed his hand against his forehead and groaned, closing his eyes to try and get rid of his headache. When he opened them again, they fell on the clock. It read 6:00 AM.

'I'm up early,' he though. Lying still for a minute, he decided to get a head start in the day and scrambled out of bed and grabbed his toothbrush. He left the room to go to the bathroom. He yawned and rubbed his eyes. Then- WHAM.

"Whoa!" Dustin had stumbled backwards and fell on the ground, toothbrush scattering away from his hand. He moaned as he attempted to get back. He knew already that today was not going to be his day.

"Oh, my gosh I'm so sorry!" said a flustered voice. Dustin glanced up to see Katie frantically looking for Dustin's lost toothbrush. Once again they had bumped into each other. Dustin felt his cheeks grow warm like it had several times since he had met Katie.

"That's ok…" Dustin said, not being able to take his eyes off her. She finally looked up at him and it looked as if all the colour had drained from her face.

"Uh…" She leaned over and grabbed Dustin's red toothbrush. Thrusting it in his hands, she got up and ran away, feeling very embarrassed. Dustin stood with his toothbrush in his hand, feeling sad.

Later in class, Dustin took his seat next to Katie without saying anything. She turned to say hi to him, but then when she opened her mouth no sound came out. She just stared at him, heart thumping loudly in her ears.

That's the moment she realized something. Dustin was her first love. You hear these things in books and on TV's about how your first love is the one that you never forget. Well this was it. Katie suddenly grew nervous. She fiddled her fingers and accidentally knocked her book clean off her desk.

As if it was a reflex, Dustin bent down to help her pick up her things. He gave her book back to her and quickly turned away. Katie stared at the back of his head, knowing that this was her chance.

"Uh… Dustin," she said, clearing her throat slightly.

Dustin turned. "Yeah?"

Katie fidgeted and took a deep breath. "I…"

She was interrupted by the loud shrill sound that was the bell. Dustin turned his attention to his notebook. Katie stared at him with sadness before turning away from him as well.

At lunch that day, Katie was eager to get a seat next to Dustin. To her dismay, she couldn't find him anywhere in the cafeteria and ended up sitting by Sonya again. She had much to say about Dustin.

"So you like Dustin, eh?" Sonya said, snapping loudly as she chewed a piece of strawberry bubblegum.

Katie dropped her sandwich. "How did you…?"

Sonya waved her hand in the air, brushing away the matter. "I'm telling you, I know everything. So when are you going to tell him?"

"I'm not," Katie said glumly. "I've tried and I just don't think we're meant to be. I mean, how many times can a girl be interrupted?"

Sonya shrugged.

That night, Katie was sitting on her bed, reading a novel when someone knocked on the door. She got up to answer it and saw Zoey standing on the other side.

"Hey," Zoey said, smiling.

"Hi…" Katie grinned and stepped away so Zoey could enter. She did.

"Nice room you got."

"Thanks…"

There was an awkward silence between the two. Finally, Katie decided to ask what was both on their minds.

"So how's Dustin?"

Zoey looked relieved. "Oh, Dustin's… Dustin's good. That's kind of why I'm here. I guess you could tell, huh?"

Katie smiled and nodded.

"Well…" Zoey sighed. "Can I sit down?"

"Oh sorry," Katie said quickly. "Go ahead." She motioned to a chair where Zoey seated herself, looking very tired.

"Okay… so about Dustin. He has been acting really weird and I think that you should talk to him…" Zoey glanced up at Katie's face. "Maybe give him a confidence boost?"

"You're his sister," Katie said. "Why don't you…?"

Zoey stood up, looking angry. "You don't think I've tried?" she cried. "Every night I-" She took a deep breath to calm herself. "Nevermind. Can you just please…?"

Katie crossed her arms and looked at the floor. "Actually I have something to tell him myself. I will talk to him. No worries about that." She glanced up and grinned at Zoey. "Tomorrow morning."

True to her word, the next morning, Katie stood outside the bathroom, waiting for Dustin. She was bouncing on her toes, feeling very nervous. Finally she heard footsteps and spotted him coming toward her.

"Dustin!" Katie said, running towards him.

Dustin stopped and frowned. "Oh… hey, Katie."

Katie shuffled her feet, unsure of what to say. Finally she decided to just dive in and take a chance. "So, Dustin, I've heard some… uh… rumours that you… and me… and uh…" She felt her tongue twist together.

Dustin's heart started beating wildly. "H-huh/"

"Okay well…" Katie was now so nervous she was looking around everywhere but Dustin's face. "Okay… I just want to say that… I really… really… okay… I just want to say… um… that if you like me… well I think you like me… you know, in that way… well… then…"

"What?" Dustin said looking straight at Katie. "What is it?"

"Ireallylikeyou," Katie said, speaking so fast it sounded like one word.

"Sorry, what?"

"Ireally likeyou."

"Huh?"

"IreallylikeyouDustin!"

Dustin frowned.

"DUSTIN BROOKS, I REALLY LIKE YOU!"

People poked their heads out of the bathrooms to see what the commotion was all about. Katie spotted Sonya watching joyfully with a toothbrush sticking out of her mouth.

Dustin gaped at Katie for a second. Then he leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. Katie felt her whole face flush as people watching started hooting and clapping. Dustin was also pink in the face.

"I like you too, Katie Anderson."

They grinned at each other. Both of them had experienced their true first love and they felt the best feeling in the world, standing there in front of the school bathrooms. Hand in hand, they walked off to get some breakfast.

The End

**Lol oooooooooookay, interesting ending, yes. If you did realize, Dustin did NOT brush his teeth and neither did Katie (well I didn't write that part anyway). But love can make you do crazy things and I didn't want to stop the ending by going 'oops, wait a second, gotta brush my teeth before we kiss!' By the way, the kiss on the cheek- hey, they're young, they'll get into more kissing later! Anyways, hope you liked this one. Keep on reviewing!**


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